Slight change of plans. Now that we're getting into the 1970s, pretty much anyone reading this site that is an Alabama fan is going to know a lot of these names, so I decided to go by decades from here on out. Even if you don't know the majority, you're certainly going to recognize the really big stars even if they played before your time (as is the case with me.)
For the earlier editions of this series:
1936-1949
1950-1969
The decade began with no one getting drafted in 1970, but would soon produce many NFL stars including two future hall of famers in John Hannah and Ozzie Newsome. Hannah lettered in three sports at Alabama (football, wrestling, track & field) and was just a steamroller of a lineman. Newsome won three SEC championships at Bama and was a team captain and an All-American. He was also the first African-American GM in NFL history.
Many people still believe the cover caption to be true
Newsome is the leading tight end in NFL history with just under 8,000 yards receiving
Pro football hall of famers in bold
College football hall of famers in italics
| Year | Player | Team | Draft Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1971 | Scott Hunter | Packers |
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| 1972 | Johnny Musso | Bears |
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| David Bailey | Packers |
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| Robin Parkhouse | Colts |
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| Steve Higginbottom | Redskins |
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| 1973 | John Hannah | Patriots |
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| John Mitchell | 49ers |
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| Jim Krapf | Raiders |
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| 1974 | Wilbur Jackson | 49ers |
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| Wayne Wheeler | Bears |
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| Mike Raines | 49ers |
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| Greg Gantt | Jets |
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| Buddy Brown | Giants |
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| 1975 | Mike Washington | Colts |
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| Ricky Davis | Bengals |
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| 1976 | Richard Todd | Jets |
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| Wayne Rhodes | Bears |
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| Woodrow Lowe | Chargers |
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| Willie Shelby | Bengals |
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| Leroy Cook | Cowboys |
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| Joe Dale Harris | Bengals |
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| 1977 | Charles Hannah | Buccaneers |
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| Paul Harris | Steelers |
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| Calvin Culliver | Broncos |
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| 1978 | Bob Cryder | Patriots |
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| Ozzie Newsome | Browns |
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| Johnny Davis | Buccaneers |
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| Terry Jones | Packers |
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| 1979 | Barry Krauss | Colts |
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| Marty Lyons | Jets |
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| Tony Nathan | Dolphins |
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| Rich Wingo | Packers |
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| Jeff Rutledge | Rams |
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Tony Nathan had over 7,000 all purpose yards in his NFL career